Mixer: 2012 Topps Olympics

When I put together these mixer cases I have a set amount of money set aside for it and I always try to spend every cent of it. So to fill up the last little bit of this order I added a blaster of 2012 Topps Olympics. I pulled two good cards.

I assume this is from a British stamp release for the Olympics.

The relic is 1:31 packs and the stamp card 1:201 packs, so not a bad blaster.

A Suggestion

This is a followup to the box of 2013 Topps MLS I opened. 

Let's be honest I had never even heard of probably 80% of the players featured in the base set, and I am a soccer fan. Men's soccer is, to be honest, overshadowed in this country by women's soccer. Now while MLS has slowly built itself into a success the women's leagues have struggled financially with each one only last two or three seasons before going bankrupt then a new one popping up. But on the international side where the world watches, the US men can't hold a candle to the women. It mostly comes down to the simple fact that the women win and have been among the best in the world for the last 25 years while the men plod along as a second or third tier international side that can't get over the hump. 

SO...in light of the recent World Cup winning performance by the US Women's National Team I think one of the card companies should put out a set commemorating the team. Presumably this would be Panini as they currently hold the US Soccer license. I know they did one of their sticker sets before the World Cup but that kind of product has an extremely small audience. I think this set would generate a heck of a lot more interest than an MLS set and could maybe spur a growth in the card collecting hobby among young girls as well. 

I for one would pay good money for a set featuring the likes of...

Tobin Heath,

Alex Morgan, and of course

World Cup final hero Carli Lloyd.

The set could also include past members of the National Team including those who played on the '91 and '99 winning teams. And of course it must include autos and relics!

Just a suggestion.....DO IT!!!!

Maybe they already have something in the works?

Mixer: 2013 Topps MLS

This blog has been almost completely dedicated to baseball cards as that is what I collect. There have been intrusions by hockey cards in the past buts its really been all about baseball. However, when I was picking out boxes for my mixer case I decided to try a box of 2013 Topps MLS Soccer. I'm actually a pretty big soccer fan but my focus is on the European leagues. With not having a nearby MLS team the league hasn't really been very prominent on my radar. But the box was a good price so I pulled the trigger. This box actually turned out to be really good.

Each box guarantees three autos and three relics.

Here is the base card design. Shown off by one of the few American soccer players that non-soccer fans have perhaps heard of.

Parallels

Blue #15/50

Gold #06/25

Black #03/10

The inserts were basically along the same boring lines that Topps uses for the flagship baseball sets, so I won't bother showing any of those. Next, the hits.

MLS Maestros Auto

Super Draft Auto #25/25

Green #01/75

It's pretty obvious from the content of this one box that this product is VERY short printed compared to Topps baseball flagship. But the demand is also way lower so it makes sense. It is fun to pull lots of low numbered cards from one box.

Here it is!

Wow what a beauty this card is!!

Got it in 10 days. TEN DAYS!!!!!! Quickest redemption turnaround by Topps...ever? I did not expect that.

Mixer: 2008 Upper Deck SPx

I hope everyone was able to catch the All-Star festivities over the last few days. MLB really hit one out of the park with the new Home Run Derby format..heh. And the game last night certainly was an exciting affair. Now it's time to get on with the second half of the season with the trade deadline coming up soon. But in the meantime let's get back to baseball cards!

The next box in my mixer case was 2008 Upper Deck SPx. UD SPx is always a great product to bust no matter the sport as it offers great hits in quantity at a decent price. I've opened SPx hockey and loved it so I jumped at the chance to get some SPx baseball. Each box contains 10 packs with each pack containing an auto or a relic. The odds generally work out to four autos and six relics per box, There are also numbered insert sets featuring Ken Griffey Jr. and Babe Ruth.

The base cards are all die-cuts. 

My box also included a box loader pack. I don't know if every box has one and if each one includes an auto, but mine did. It also included a Yankee Stadium Legacy card.

The rest of the autos follow:

That signature looks like mine did when I was about..ohhh...four years old.

I'm actually impressed that of the five autos I pulled, including the box loader, three of them are players I've heard of.

These redemptions are two per case. Mine is for #7 which was Alexei Ramirez, so nothing too bad to miss out on. If I had pulled the redemption for Carlos Gonzalez, Max Scherzer, or Clayton Kershaw I would have been a little more upset.

Next up the inserts:

509/725

512/725

447/725

These as well as the Babe Ruth insert come in a 1/1 parallel, of which there are two per case. (There are 100 different inserts of each.) I did not get lucky enough to pull one. But if you want a really good shot at pulling a 1/1 Griffey or Ruth card then 2008 SPx is the way to go.

And now the relics:

075/150

27/75

123/150

105/125

Patch relic 76/99

And the best for last...

20/25

WOO!!!